Sally Oldfield - Early Life

Early Life

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Oldfield and her siblings were raised in the Roman Catholic faith of their mother, Maureen. Spending her childhood in Reading, Berkshire, Oldfield studied ballet from the age of four and won numerous competitions in all styles of dance, including ballet, tap and modern. At the age of eleven, she won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dancing, then located in Holland Park, London, and two years later was starred to move on to the Royal Ballet School at White Lodge. However, she gave up ballet two years later, and achieved three A-Levels at Grade A. She also studied classical piano to Grade 7. All her school years were spent at St Joseph's Convent School, Reading, where she became friends with Marianne Faithfull.

Oldfield then went on to read English Literature and Philosophy at Bristol University. She had originally planned to move on to postgraduate studies. However, following a spontaneous near-death experience while walking on a beach in the spring of 1968, she began to write songs which she had never done before and from that moment she knew she wanted a life in music.